The first hearing aids which were worn entirely within an ear typically extended well into the auricle, that portion of the external ear which is not contained within the head. Although useful, these devices were aesthetically unpleasing in that they were visually quite evident. As miniaturization progressed, in-the-ear type hearing aids have become increasingly smaller and now include a type known as the in-the-canal hearing aid.
An in-the-canal hearing aid includes a proximal end portion which is positionable within an ear canal adjacent to an eardrum. A distal end portion extends outwardly towards the auricle of the ear when positioned therein. The auditory canal or external auditory meatus is approximately 11/2 inches long if measured from the tragus. The tragus is the cartilaginous projection anterior to the external opening of the ear. Many of the in-the-canal type hearing aids currently extend no further than the tragus. Smaller devices extend only to the bottom of the concha, such that the length of the device is less than 1 inch.
The relatively large in-the-ear type hearing aids could be readily removed from the ear since they extended well into the auricle past the tragus. However, in-the-canal type hearing aids are purposely designed to be aesthetically pleasing in that very little, if any, of the device extends beyond the bottom of the concha. Therefore, it may be very difficult for hearing aid users to remove an in-the-canal type hearing aid or other small in-the-ear hearing aids from their ear. In order to remove such devices, another individual may be required. Alternatively, the user may attempt to extricate the in-the-ear hearing aid by utilizing an implement. Of course, such devices may damage the device or injure the ear, leading to infection or other difficulties.